


Happily Ever After

by Realta (Daniele)



Series: A Mistake Gone Right [3]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Domestic, Established Relationship, F/M, Female Gaara, Fluff, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-29
Updated: 2016-02-28
Packaged: 2018-05-16 23:31:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5845165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daniele/pseuds/Realta
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Now that her life was no longer in jeopardy, Gaara would have to get used to being a kunoichi at the same time as she was getting used to being a mother. Naruto was right by her side, learning how to be a husband just as he learned how to be a father.</p><p>But even if the joy in life is in the little surprises, they couldn't have imagined that parenthood would have such a shock in store for them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Returning Home

**Author's Note:**

> This is the sequel to “[A Mistake Gone Right](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5423420)”. 
> 
> It breaks off the form of the prequel, considering it's no longer angst, and later chapters will have more appearances of Naruto's and Gaara's children. It should also be much smaller, I doubt it will reach 10 chapters.
> 
> This is still the same story, but I've broken it in three because I'm well aware that, just like “[Building On a Lie](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5420096)”, some people might dislike it despite liking the middle fanfic. 
> 
> For those of you who like, enjoy the read! For those of you who don't, I might make one shots later to try and synthesize the plot, so you can have a more satisfactory end to the middle part without reading the end.
> 
> I'm still writing this story, so I'll take longer to update. I intend to get at least one chapter per month out, but I might write faster depending on my work load.

  
After she had given birth, life had settled so easily it surprised her.  
  
Naruto's smiles and laugher were no longer a mask. He wouldn't let go of their sons for a single minute – if he wasn't there, a clone of his was there. Between that, and her returning night habits as she recovered from pregnancy, both of them watched their babies like hawks.  
  
Their babies seldom cried. They didn't have the opportunity – as soon as they looked uncomfortable, either Naruto or Gaara was there, holding them. Yukio got closest with his two-second wails sometimes, but they had only really ever seen Yuraku whimper.  
  
She had closed herself in, isolated herself for the last weeks of her pregnancy. Only after her chances of survival were greatly improved, after the second week, she started calling her friends in Suna and talking with them over the phone. Matsuri was ecstatic to know her children were healthy, and she told her the people of Suna had made a week long festival to celebrate their healthy birth after Temari's announcement. That really made her feel happy.  
  
Yukio had stopped trying to bury himself alive while naked when he was two weeks old. He still wouldn't let anyone but Naruto and her touch him, but she could easily force the issue when she took him for the medical check ups. Yuraku could touch him, too. But the sand didn't truly protect him, because he still managed to scratch his face raw if she allowed his nails to grow long, and once Naruto had accidentally cut his arm while attempting to clip his nails.  
  
When they were a month old, Naruto officially declared his marriage to her, and the birth of his children. People of Konoha were ecstatic, and they did throw a party the following night, so the spirits would bless their children. Temari made the same announcement in Suna, and it sounded like her people had taken it well. Naruto was known and loved far and wide, and not only in Konoha.  
  
They were two months old when the doctors gave her a clean bill of health and allowed her to once again use her chakra and train. She was in equal measures happy and anxious to receive these news. They walked home from the hospital, so their children could enjoy a little stroll and see people on the streets.  
  
She greeted back everyone who greeted them in an absent-minded way. Once they reached their home, the twins were asleep, and Naruto was staring her down. “Something is wrong. Aren't you happy that you're all better now?”  
  
“Of course.” she said quietly, looking away from him. Naruto placed a finger under her chin, and she looked up into his eyes.  
  
“You're not happy. What's bothering you? Are you feeling pain, or something odd?” he looked concerned.  
  
“I... no.” she licked her lips. “I was just wondering...” she trailed off. There was no diplomatic way to word this. “Do you still want me? Would you rather raise them on your own?” she asked quietly.  
  
Naruto stared in incredulous silence for a very long minute. “What's gotten into your head?” he wondered.  
  
“...I'm not dying anymore. You no longer need to pretend you want me.” Naruto looked even more incredulous.  
  
He got a clone to take their children into their rooms, then took Gaara into a breathtaking kiss as his response. Once they parted, he scoffed. “Don't be silly. You weren't dying when we made them, were you?” he poked her stomach, which was even smaller than it had been after birth.  
  
“We were drunk.” she pointed out. “You barely even remembered it.”  
  
“I remember it vividly. I just thought I was delusional back then. That's not the point. I wasn't pretending to like you just to make you happy, Gaara. I do like you, and that's exactly why I wanted you to be happy.”  
  
“I know.” she said quietly. “I know you like me, I'm asking you if you still want me.”  
  
Naruto took a deep breath.  
  
Before she knew it, she was inside his arms, and he was showing her just how much he wanted her in his bed. Naruto spent the whole night letting her know just how happy he was that she wasn't going to die, and repeating again and again that he wanted no one else as his wife.  
  
  
\- - - - -  
  
  
She was sitting in their garden on the early morning sunlight, letting the twins get a little sun and fresh air as she read the several pages of reports that both Kankurou and Temari wrote for her so she could catch up on her work and resume it.  
  
“Gaara.” she looked up with surprise at the serious tone on Naruto's voice. He had been cooking them breakfast, she hadn't even realized he was in the garden in his silence. A clone, judging by the sound of pans she could still hear from the kitchen. “There's something I really want to talk to you about.”  
  
She hesitantly closed the ledger on her lap and set it aside, giving him her full attention. Naruto looked unusually grim and serious. She wondered if he wanted to talk to her about last night.  
  
“This has been a crazy ride, and I love being a father. But...” she tensed. “I don't want you to be pregnant ever again.” she felt herself relax a little.  
  
“...I can agree with that sentiment.” she sighed. A grim little smile curved his lips.  
  
“Good! I know you can't have surgery to keep yourself from getting pregnant. So, I'm going to do it myself. I wanted to be sure you're okay with it.” Gaara started, then studied Naruto cautiously.  
  
“A surgery is permanent, isn't it? You're never going to be able to be a father again...” she studied him as he grinned.  
  
“That's the intention, isn't it?” he pointed out.  
  
“If for some reason you marry someone else...” Naruto paled.  
  
“I'm not doing that! I thought I made myself clear last night!” she watched him with a serious expression. He sighed and looked away. “Listen, Gaara, before we... I really didn't want to be in another relationship again. I missed having a girlfriend, but... I'm... not good with relationships.” she raised an eyebrow as she studied him.  
  
She realized he would finally tell her why he broke up with Hinata. “You're still in love with Hinata?” she asked quietly.  
  
“No.” he looked sincere. “I'm just a really bad boyfriend.” she watched him in disbelief until he elaborated. “My girlfriends always say I'm too clingy and they feel smothered by me. The only one who never complained was Hinata, but I could see I was harmful to her. I've been accused of being controlling several times.”  
  
She watched his downhearted expression for a long time as they sat in silence. She could understand the reason of the accusations – ever since her secret had come out, Naruto was nearly always there. Nearly all of her waking hours, there was a clone of him by her side, whether he was talking to her or just watching her in silence from the shadows. She had gotten so used to his presence there that it was almost like she was alone when he was silent, and he had developed the ability to startle her sometimes.  
  
She understood how that could be seen as clingy. She had thought he was acting like that because she had been ill, but apparently that wasn't the case. But Naruto had never tried to force her into doing anything she didn't want to do, so she didn't see how he could classify as controlling. That was probably a false accusation.  
  
Still, even if she could tell that was not exactly a good thing, she felt comforted by Naruto's ubiquitous presence in her life.  
  
“If you don't want me anymore, I'm really not getting into another serious relationship ever again. I wasn't going to, but I wanted to give it a last try, because of our children and all.” he scratched his cheek. “I'll try not to be clingy with you.”  
  
“You're already failing.” he looked horrified at her words. She offered him a small smile. “I don't mind it, Naruto.” Maybe normal people felt uncomfortable with that, but she was broken like him. She had always felt lonely with herself after she lost Shukaku, no matter how terrible her relationship with the demon was in her childhood, and Naruto's presence made her feel settled as she hadn't felt in years. “As long as you understand you can't follow me around while I'm working. You should know I'm capable of protecting myself on my own.”  
  
“I-It's not...” he trailed off at her pointed look. He looked down, mortified. “I know you're an awesome kunoichi. I'll try to stop it.”  
  
“We will try together. We can help each other get better.” she told him quietly. He looked up, confused. When the silence stretched and he still didn't understand her words, she glanced at their sons, prompting him to look too. “You don't really think it's normal for two parents to stare their children down twenty-four hours a day, do you?”  
  
Naruto blanched at her words. Then, he nervously laughed. “O-Of course it must be! I mean, newborns are helpless, and all.”  
  
“You've noticed our babies almost never cry, yet people keep getting surprised that their crying isn't keeping us up at night. Normal people leave their babies to sleep on their own, and only mind them once they're summoned by their cries. Otherwise, the amount of infants that die suffocated by their bedding wouldn't be statistically relevant.” Naruto choked.  
  
“What? There are babies that die like that?” she nodded silently. “That's... terrible...” Naruto's words became a whisper. “Can we work on 'getting better' once they're older and not helpless?” his voice was almost begging.  
  
“Yes, definitely.” she agreed. Even though they probably should start now... she had gone through too much to lose her sons to a careless decision now. Naruto let out a breath of relief, then he said nothing else as he stared at the sleeping babies. She watched them, too.  
  
She broke the silence seconds later. “I appreciate your offer to do the surgery, Naruto. Thank you.” he offered her a strained smile.  
  
“You don't need to thank me. I'm being selfish, too. I never want to see you so weak and in pain ever again. It was terrifying.”  
  
She chuckled. “It was definitely a new experience. I haven't ever gotten that sick before. This past year has been the year for new experiences.”  
  
“That's not funny.” Naruto pouted. He smiled when she just chuckled at his exaggerated pout.  
  
  
\- - - - -  
  
  
Both Naruto and Rock Lee helped her recover her taijutsu and body shape. By the time the twins were four months old, she was already as slim as she had been before, and with an acceptable taijutsu. She decided to return to Suna.  
  
Naruto took them with his transportation jutsu, so the babies wouldn't suffer the travel. Gaara looked around, feeling somewhat wistful after seeing her own bedroom for the first time in months.  
  
“Here you go. Safely delivered.” Naruto leaned in and kissed her lips.  
  
“You're really going away?” she studied him. Naruto had proposed to her to leave her alone in Suna for the time it took for him to arrive properly by the front gates, with his escort. After all, Naruto hadn't exactly been subtle before, but it was best if they kept somewhat hidden the fact he could transport them from a village to another in the blink of an eye. From foreign ninjas, at least.  
  
“Yup. I'll see you soon.” and he was gone in a poof of smoke.  
  
Sudden loneliness hit her so hard that she stood motionless, trying to fight it off. She could sense with clarity that Naruto was gone, and his absence made her uncomfortable. Part of her was anxious about his safety – she curbed it as she rubbed her face with a sigh.  
  
“This isn't going to work.” she mumbled to herself. Yuraku took her words as directed to him, because he cooed against her chest and squirmed. He looked half asleep in his sling – Yukio was fully asleep. She doubted that would remain for long when they started meeting new people. Both of them were fascinated by strangers. “Yes, mom and dad are in trouble, Yuraku.” she sighed, patting his back.  
  
She strode purposefully out of her room and looked around. She couldn't feel anyone in the living quarters – Temari and Kankurou were already working. Her brother had left Konoha during the chuunin exams, and she hadn't seen anyone from Suna but her ANBU guard ever since.  
  
They hadn't told anyone she was coming today, though everyone was well aware Naruto was arriving in four days time.  
  
She relaxed as she took in her home – the home she hadn't believed she would ever see again. She had two homes, after all, and before long she would no doubt miss the small house in the woods she had grown to love.  
  
She would have to move from the Kazekage compound, though. Her council wouldn't be happy with her if Naruto lived there. Kankurou would probably live there alone once Temari was married – her sister was still preparing herself a marriage ceremony.  
  
The living quarters were empty, but once she left them, she could feel a lot of people milling around over the grains of sand with her chakra that still clung to the floors of the building.  
  
She walked with purpose, as if she was fully expected to be there, going through the corridors she felt were most empty. The few people that walked past her didn't notice her – sloppy of them, even if most of them felt like civilians and she was wearing a dress with two babies on a sling.  
  
Her breath was stuck in her throat when she walked into the front hall of the compound. She had seen it in a photo, but it was not the same as seeing in person all of the glass wind chimes hanging from the ceiling. The proof of her people's love for her.  
  
Sari was one of the first people to notice her. As soon as she did, she shrieked, and the sound echoed off the high walls. Everyone there was on guard – including Yukio, who jerked when he was treated to an unpleasant awakening. Yuraku also started, then clung to her.  
  
“Gaara!” Matsuri cried out once she turned around to see the reason for her friend's scream. Matsuri's face lit up and she ran towards her.  
  
“Matsuri.” she nodded to her friend, for a moment worried she might be tackled. Thankfully, Matsuri held herself in place as soon as she came within touching distance.  
  
“Gaara! You look so much better! I'm glad!” she cried happily.  
  
People began to surround her, and they were talking all at once.  
  
She felt cornered. The twins were used to Naruto being loud and obnoxious, sometimes even numerous, so despite being rudely awoken by all the voices, they looked much calmer than she felt. Yuraku was attempting to turn around on the sling so he could look at people – she had told Naruto it would be better to leave them facing forward instead of towards her, but he had told her they would probably feel more comforted if they could nurse whenever they wanted while she sat hours in the council meetings she would no doubt get dragged into.  
  
“You're better!” “Aw, they're so cute!” “He looks just like you, Kazekage-sama!” she stood stonily as people surrounded her. She barely paid attention to what they were saying, at least until she heard, “Are you really going to retire?”  
  
“No. I'm not retiring.” she said firmly, loud enough to be heard over all of the voices, and several people looked startled at her.  
  
She was surprised to see her fangirls of old had gathered into a small group, and looked like they were fawning over her again. It had been years since that had last happened, considering most of them were married by now. Now that they were aware she was a woman, their actions were even more baffling.  
  
“Our Kazekage is the strongest kunoichi of all of the Elemental Countries!” “She isn't going to retire, with twins!” “I want to be just like her!” her eyes softened as she heard the whispers coming from the group. Being seen as a role model was definitely better than being seen as a conquest.  
  
She saw Kankurou approach her not long after, staring at her as if asking 'What are you doing here?'. She patted Yuraku on the back when he started to whimper, frustrated with his failed attempts at turning around. Yukio didn't even bother to try, he couldn't even roll over while lying free of the sling's straps. He was just peering at people over his shoulder. “I thank you all for your support. But I must go now, I have a lot of work to catch up to.” she said loudly, calling people's attention to her once again.  
  
The ninjas and civilians on the hall dutifully parted the way so she could walk towards her brother. “You didn't say you were coming today.” he said in lieu of a greeting.  
  
Yuraku's crying was his response. She sighed, then used her sand to take him out of the sling so she could hold him facing forward with her arm. He immediately stopped crying and reached out to grab Kankurou's clothes, nearly throwing himself out of her grip, but her sand was still wrapped around his waist, and some of it supported his forehead for a moment. Her brother stared at him.  
  
“Hey there, brat. You sprouted right up since I last saw you.” he patted his soft red strands as Yuraku babbled at him. “Temari's dying to meet them.” Temari had been unable to leave Suna after their birth, as the council had been strong on her case while Gaara's life was still at risk.  
  
Gaara hadn't know why they were still giving Temari trouble even after she had been cleared of all health problems two months ago, but if there were rumors running that Gaara was going to retire, she understood why her sister was having so much trouble. No doubt it was her council spreading the rumors, and badgering Temari into fully taking Gaara's post.  
  
If they were sure they could force Gaara to retire, they were in for a very nasty surprise.  
  
“Let's go introduce them to her. She's in the Kazekage's office, and that's where I need to go.” she guessed. Her brother nodded firmly.  
  
Yuraku didn't seem eager to let go of him. “Do you want to hold him?” the look of pure horror on Kankurou's face prompted a soft laugh out of her. “Come on, Yuraku, your uncle doesn't like babies. They remind him of the consequences of being careless with women.”  
  
Kankurou started, and she grinned at him as she gently ran her thumb over Yuraku's hand, helping him to open it and giving a stuffed toy for him to hold instead – at least until he got tired and dropped it.  
  
“Tch. Figures that the first time I hear you laugh, you would be laughing at my face.” Kankurou scoffed.  
  
“The look on your face was rather hilarious.” She pointed out, striding forward with Yuraku on her arm and Yukio in his sling. They were both looking around, but Yuraku had just discovered a few days ago that he could reach out and grab things, and he wanted to grab all the new things he saw. Yukio hadn't learned that trick yet, he would just hold whatever Naruto would push into his hands.  
  
“That kid has a lot of trust on you, the way he throws himself around.” Kankurou muttered as they walked side by side. Rumors of her arrival had already spread – they were probably the reason Kankurou was even there – and many people were staring at her. She must make quite a sight, in a dress, with a baby on a sling against her chest and another happily cooing on her right arm.  
  
“Naruto likes to throw him in the air. He probably enjoys the sensation of falling, considering the way he laughs.” At least her sand shield protected her children, in a way. She felt it ready to grab the baby in case he fell, while she was aware of him. The shield wouldn't protect him if she was completely unaware, in another room.  
  
“The poor kid got his brain matter off his father.” Kankurou remarked, staring at Yuraku. Gaara smiled again.  
  
She only knocked once, before opening the door to the Kazekage's office and peering inside. There was an Elder standing there, and her sister looked angry.  
  
At least until she saw her. “Gaara!” Temari exclaimed in surprise. “I didn't know you were coming today. Come in.” she opened the door further and walked in. Temari's eyes widened as she got sight of her children.  
  
“Elder Yamano. Good morning.” she greeted politely. The elder eyed her children with distaste.  
  
“Kazekage-sama. It's good to see you in good health. But this isn't an adequate place for infants.” the man looked up again, his eyes stern.  
  
“I thank you for your concern, but you don't need to worry. I know how to make it adequate.” with a hand sign, she created a shadow clone that removed from her waist the seal Naruto had created for her.  
  
In a few seconds, there was a soft playpen on the floor, with a few toys inside. She moved towards it and laid Yuraku on the mattress, then carefully removed Yukio from the sling and placed him by his brother, far enough away that he wouldn't get hit if his brother attempted to roll over. Her shadow clone seemed to disappear then, but she actually became a teddy bear inside the play pen. One of the other teddy bears was full of her sand, and there was also some sand covering Yukio's back of his own will. A place with so many ninjas was not the place to exercise her restraint from watching closely over her sons.  
  
“You're right, it's very adequate now.” Temari remarked with a wide smirk. “As I was saying, I doubt my sister will have issues writing paperwork, even with two children.”  
  
“The Kazekage's duties go beyond bureaucratic work.” the man told them slowly, tense.  
  
“Gaara could kick the asses of half the men in this place with her children strapped to her body, if they attacked her at once. I don't see any issue there.” Kankurou told him with a grin of his own. Gaara just stared the man down when he looked between all three of them and her children.  
  
“If you have returned to take over your duties, the council should be assembled for a meeting.” the man said stiffly.  
  
“Of course. You'll receive a notice soon, along with the other councilors.” Gaara agreed in a smooth tone. “If that's all, I have issues to discuss with Temari.”  
  
The man bowed and left with a murmured. “I'll be waiting, Kazekage-sama.”  
  
“You arrived just in time to prevent a slaughter.” Temari told her with a growl as soon as the door closed. Gaara sighed.  
  
“That bad?” she murmured. Temari ignored her, standing up and walking towards the play pen.  
  
“...They're so cute. Is this Yukio? He really does look just like you, Gaara.” she said softly as she leaned over Yukio. He was looking around the new room, and his eyes locked on Temari as she smiled at him. Gaara felt a smile curve her own lips when he smiled back at his aunt and cooed at her. “But he's easier to...” she trailed off as she looked up, then raised an eyebrow, “...smile.”  
  
Gaara chuckled. “Yes, well, there are several expressions that come easier to him. Naruto's annoyingly fond of making him look frightened.” she hated it when Naruto scared him on purpose. But Yukio still loved his father – apparently. She was getting on the limit of her patience, and every time Naruto scared him to see the expression on his face, she felt tempted to try and scare Naruto half to death herself.  
  
“Can we make him laugh?” Kankurou wondered, leaning in and tickling the baby's stomach. His sand didn't jump to shield him – it had stopped doing as much about two weeks ago. Yukio cooed and squirmed under his fingers, until she batted her brother's hand away.  
  
“He doesn't laugh yet. Yuraku laughed for the first time four days ago, and he aways achieves everything long before Yukio.” she lifted up her youngest, then carefully threw him in the air. Yuraku started, then he burst out laughing. She smiled at her baby, then offered him to Temari. His sister didn't look as afraid of holding him.  
  
“He's so precious. He kind of looks like you, too...” she sighed. “I wish I could have visited you before.”  
  
“I understand.” she shook her head, taking her baby back and placing him on his stomach in the playpen. “I'll take over again from now on.”  
  
Temari frowned. “I don't mind remaining as the acting Kazekage for as long as you need, Gaara...”  
  
“I don't need more time. I'm fully recovered from birth now, physically and emotionally. I also have read all the reports you have written for me, thank you for the help, Temari.” she lowered her head in gratitude to her sister.  
  
“Are you going to raise them while you're working, Gaara?” she turned a cold look on her brother, silently daring him to tell her she should retire. He quickly raised his hands, defensive. “I don't mean it like that! I mean, you could get a nurse!” he said quickly when Temari also glared at him.  
  
“No. Neither I nor Naruto trust anyone else with them.” she murmured darkly. “They will stay with Naruto while they're in Suna, and they will stay with me while they're in Konoha. But while they're still so young, they need my milk, so they will stay with me always.”  
  
“Shouldn't you stay in Konoha, then? I have to admit, carrying them around the office isn't the greatest of ideas, considering all the ninjas about...” Kankurou worded carefully.  
  
“The council's been putting pressure on us to bring them here.” Temari told him darkly. After a few seconds, she smirked. “Having two babies crying all the time during meetings will probably change their minds pretty quickly.”  
  
“They don't really cry that much. Whenever they feel uncomfortable, nursing is usually enough to soothe them.” Gaara explained. Her siblings stared at her.  
  
“...You're going to flash the elder council?” Kankurou asked with raised eyebrows.  
  
“Nursing in public is an official exception of the law of indecent exposure, and it's encouraged. We can't have our children dying of dehydration.” Gaara told them seriously.  
  
Kankurou burst out laughing. “I swear! You made that law just to make those assholes sweat. Even if it was ten years ago!”  
  
  
\- - - - -  
  
  
When Naruto arrived, as soon as they were alone in her room, he jumped her. That was fine, because she jumped him at the same time. He threw her against the wall and kissed her as if that was their last kiss before the end of the world. She wrapped her legs around his waist and clung to his shoulders.  
  
“I missed you. I missed you so much.” Naruto whimpered by her ear once they parted for air.  
  
“I missed you too.” she rasped breathlessly. “Taking a four days break was a bit much for the first try.” she had been feeling unbearably lonely. Coupled with the fact there weren't Naruto's clones watching their sons, she hadn't slept a single second since arriving in Suna four days ago. She just couldn't bear to leave the babies alone.  
  
Naruto froze on her arms, then pulled back until they were eye to eye. He frowned. “You... missed me?” he studied her. “You look terrible.”  
  
“I couldn't sleep.” Naruto's eyes widened. He looked terrible, too. He was pale, and there were dark bags under his eyes. She reached up and gently ran her thumb over the darkened skin.  
  
“...You missed me?” he asked again, his eyes piercing.  
  
“Of course I did.” she admonished him. “I enjoy your presence, Naruto.”  
  
“You don't think I'm clingy? Annoying? Overbear...” she interrupted him by kissing his lips.  
  
“I like having you always with me. I felt lonely without you.” she elaborated.  
  
Naruto frowned. “Why the hell are we doing this then? If you don't mind, if you like it...” she blinked at him.  
  
“It may start to bother us both later.” Naruto scoffed, then he leaned in and kissed her deeply. She closed her eyes and buried her fingers into his hair.  
  
“When it starts bothering you...” he began breathlessly against her lips once he pulled back. “You tell me. I'll stop then. Not now.”  
  
That was just fine with her. She didn't get the opportunity to tell that to him, because he stole away her ability to talk once again.


	2. Starting Anew

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the slow update. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

It was Naruto who thought about the idea of using shadow clones to go out on dates.  
  
They were beyond busy, with her resuming work and the twins to look after, specially since some people on her council seemed to think that overloading her with work would make her give in and retire. Taking a few hours to relax with Naruto everyday was nice, but impossible... until he suggested they create the time.  
  
“So, I took you out on dates while we were in Konoha. Time for you to take me out.” Naruto suggested one day.  
  
She was sitting on her desk, trying not to despair at the paperwork that kept piling up as she caught up on several details Temari's summary hadn't covered for brevity's sake. Naruto stood before her in one of his black and orange jackets – he would cook inside it if he went out on the midday sun like he was proposing.  
  
“I'm busy, Naruto.” she told him with a small sigh. Naruto pouted.  
  
“I'm not seeing you use any clones, except this.” he walked up to the playpen and poked the fake teddy bear her clone had transformed into. Naruto had followed her example, and turned a clone into an obnoxious orange teddy bear that the twins were fascinated with – probably because it was so bright and glaringly out of place amongst their toys. She forgave Naruto's continuous presence in her office while the twins were there – they wouldn't be there for long, she just wanted to get used to the shadow clone technique for a few days before sending clones to work in her place. Her clones would still disperse against her will sometimes. “You're not going to get better if you don't practice more.”  
  
She blinked. “You want to go on a date with my clone?” she wondered.  
  
“Why not?” he asked cheerfully.  
  
“...because it's a clone? On a date?” she asked quietly. Naruto smirked at her.  
  
“You don't seem worried about the fact they're clones when...” Naruto choked as she forced his mouth shut with her sand, her eyes widening. She was certain she knew what her husband was going to say, and her ninjas didn't need to know details of her sex life.  
  
“You don't say this sort of thing aloud in a ninja headquarters, Naruto.” she hissed. He spluttered when she took her sand back. “Fine, but don't complain to me if the clone disperses on its own.” She quickly shifted her hands and made a shadow clone.  
  
“If she disperses, I'll do it too.” he shrugged.   
  
“You're a clone?” she asked with curiosity.  
  
“Yup. Original is getting beaten up by the brother-in-law.” Naruto told her with a small grin. Gaara took his words to mean they were training together. She hoped Kankurou at least had the sense to give Naruto more appropriate clothes, or train in one of the refrigerated training facilities inside the building.   
  
“Okay, let's go.” her clone announced, taking Naruto by the hand. She watched them go, and once the door closed behind them, she shook her head and returned to her work.  
  
  
\- - - - -  
  
  
“You already know where to go?” Naruto asked excitedly as she strode purposefully down the hall.   
  
“Yes.” she agreed. Naruto's eyes lit up.  
  
“Where are we going? Somewhere nice?” Naruto wondered happily.  
  
“We're going to buy you clothes.” his face fell flat, and he stopped walking. He quickly caught up to her when she didn't stop with him.  
  
“I don't need clothes.” he muttered sullenly, probably already sick and tired of being told to buy clothes that weren't orange.  
  
“Yes, you do. You're moving to Suna. You're going to get sick if you walk around with the clothes you wear in Konoha everyday for an extended period of time. You can only wear colors like black and dark blue here if they're made of special fabrics.” she knew out of experience that his clothes weren't appropriate for Suna. She didn't often leave her office, so she could get away with wearing his jackets, but Naruto wasn't one to stay cooped up inside day in and day out.  
  
Naruto blinked, then grinned. “How about I wear plain orange?” he suggested.  
  
“You still need long sleeved clothes that aren't meant to warm you up.” just like that, his mood lifted once again. She wasn't trying to stop him from wearing his favorite color – Naruto was good enough a ninja that he could afford to have eccentricities.   
  
“So... Are you taking me to the place you buy your own clothes? They're dark.” she nodded silently as they walked out of the compound.  
  
The midday sun was beating harshly down on them. The sand that covered her face, as well as her whole body, protected her from it. Naruto was probably only kept from nasty sunburns by Kurama and his body's ability to heal quickly – but those weren't going to keep him from getting heatstrokes or becoming dehydrated for sweating too much. Because he was a clone, at least that wasn't an issue at the moment.  
  
“Where's it? In the market? I love Suna's market, it's always so colorful, and there are so many different scents.” she listened quietly as he began to talk about his previous visits and the merchants he met.  
  
When he walked closer to her and slipped his hand into hers again, she held his hand back silently.   
  
At a moment during their walk, he tugged on her hand. “Hey, do you want to go out to dinner tonight? Eat something nice?” she looked hesitantly at him.  
  
“I don't want to leave Yukio and Yuraku with anyone else.” she told him quietly. “Maybe we can buy take out and eat at home.” she offered instead.   
  
“That works.” he agreed with a happy sigh. “I still need to find a place that has good ramen here, but I suppose we can have that weird meat you like.”   
  
Gaara smiled. “That doesn't exactly qualify as 'nice' food, but okay.” Naruto shrugged.  
  
“They're our favorites, who cares what other people think?” he tugged on her hand again. She chuckled.  
  
Naruto was delighted to find orange clothes for himself in the store she usually bought her clothes from. He even found an orange and red coat, which he was more than happy to get. She just sat and waited for him to get at least enough clothes for him to wear throughout the week, giving him a nod or a shake of her head every time he asked her opinion on something.  
  
He took less than two hours to get himself an appropriate wardrobe. He made clones to take all the packages away before she insisted to help him carry them home.  
  
“Where to now? Let's do something nice.” Naruto asked as soon as his clones were gone.  
  
“We can walk around the market if you want.” she offered, considering how excited he had been to talk about it earlier.  
  
“Let's go, then! Hey, maybe we can find a nice toy for Yuki-chan and Yura-chan.” he suggested as he dragged her along.  
  
“They have more toys than they can play with. Yuraku's favorite toy is you.” Gaara teased him.  
  
“Maybe we can get him something else orange.” Naruto remarked as they walked.  
  
“I don't mean your clone. He's the happiest when you're playing with him.” Naruto glanced behind them, and she felt the presence of a clone of his then, so she didn't bother to turn around.   
  
She was surprised when she felt a shawl be placed over her hair. She did turn around this time, to see Naruto give her a grin before dispersing into smoke. The clone that had been with her chuckled and righted the shawl over her head and shoulders.  
  
“Oh, I knew this would look good on you. You look beautiful.” It was a seafoam green colored shawl, with golden borders and several details in gold in the middle. “It's the same color as your eyes.”  
  
Gaara looked askance at him, unsure why he had brought her a shawl. Did he want her to start dressing in a more feminine way? She had been wearing dresses lately, but she could describe some of them as 'tomboyish' at best. Naruto flushed. “Hum, you told me once... about girls and shawls.” he offered. Gaara's eyes widened.  
  
In Konoha, men gave flowers to women they were in love with. In Suna, men gave women shawls. A small smile turned her lips. “Thank you. You don't need to pretend you're in love with me anymore.”  
  
Naruto pouted. “Don't doubt the strength of a friend's love.” he poked her nose lightly. She chuckled.  
  
“I never doubt the strength of your love for anyone.” he leaned in and kissed her lips. She felt her heart swell at the gentleness of his kiss.  
  
  
\- - - - -  
  
  
Gaara started at her table, when the sudden memory of the sweet kiss hit her.  
  
Her clone had dispersed from emotional overload.  
  
She smiled and ran her fingers over her lips, warmed up by all the nice feelings her clone had been feeling before its life had been cut short. “Naruto, you're so silly.” she murmured.   
  
Hopefully he had managed to catch the shawl before it blew away in the wind.  
  
  
\- - - - -  
  
  
One of her priorities once they returned to Suna was to find a place where they could live. Gaara knew Suna well, just as Naruto knew Konoha. So, she took the responsibility to find a house they could buy or rent.   
  
Much like Naruto had done, she searched the houses she liked, then led him to visit them, so he could choose. It didn't take long until they found a place they both liked.  
  
It sat on one of the residential areas that were very far away from the Kazekage compound – it was a peaceful little neighborhood, with no buildings taller than three stores, which had a fairly close knit community. Naruto loved their neighbors, she was fairly sure they had influenced heavily on his choice.  
  
Their new house was small in circumference, but it was one of the tallest around – the kitchen and living room were on the first floor, there were two small bedrooms on the second and the master bedroom with a small adjacent office on the third. What endeared her to the house was the terrace – she loved watching the sky. Specially on the nights she hadn't been able to sleep as a child.  
  
Once they had acquired the house, Naruto made moving seem like a triviality.  
  
“So, one of the bedrooms on the second floor will be our office, we can turn the other one in a play room, how about?” she nodded once.  
  
Their children would stay with them. Gaara slept far better when they were at her arm's reach, and though having them on a futon, closer to the floor, was much safer, the amount of dust in Suna made sleeping near the floor somewhat hazardous for children that young. Instead, they were sleeping with both babies between them, while a clone watched overnight to make sure no one would fall off the bed. She spent most of the night awake, watching them, either way. The short naps she took throughout the night, as well as the longer nap she was taking every afternoon, they were enough rest for her.  
  
“We should have gotten a house with a guest bedroom.” Naruto frowned.  
  
“Kankurou can house anyone from Konoha who comes to visit you.” she pointed out. “He can house you, while they're visiting.”  
  
“I suppose...” he nodded slowly. “Where do you want to start?”  
  
“Bedroom and kitchen. This way we can finish organizing everything while living here.” she replied easily. They could bring their children along once the bedroom was livable.  
  
“Bedroom, it is!” and they walked up the stairs. “We need to bar the stairs before they start crawling.” he noted.  
  
“We need to do several other things to baby proof our home.” she sighed. “We should make sure our weapons are always sealed or locked away. We can use the third floor office as storage.”  
  
“Good idea.” Naruto agreed easily. Neither of them were extremely dependent on weapons to protect themselves, which was good. Yuraku was so curious, he would no doubt grab at anything left within his reach.  
  
She cleaned the room off the dust, then they washed the walls and the floor together, before they started assembling the furniture they had brought with them – most of it Kankurou had made himself.  
  
As she had hoped, they managed to finish up the bedroom and kitchen by the time evening arrived, and she took their sons to their new home once office hours were over.  
  
“We can finish organizing everything on the weekend.” Naruto silently agreed as he concentrated on cooking them dinner. Yukio and Yuraku had already been fed, and they were nearly asleep by her side – thus why Naruto was so quiet.  
  
The babies didn't fall asleep, though. By the time they had finished dining, Yukio was wide awake, and his brother was successfully fighting off sleep. “I don't think they're sleeping any time soon... Do you want to sleep?” Naruto wondered aloud. Yuraku tried to turn when he heard his father's voice behind him.  
  
“Not really, no. I have to...” she began, but Naruto interrupted her.  
  
“You're not working, by the way.” he told her pointedly. “Your work hours ended an hour ago.” she raised an eyebrow at him.  
  
They ended up sitting on their bed, with the twins lying on their stomachs, surrounded by toys. They both grabbed books to read, but they were distracted by the babies at the moment.  
  
“I was thinking about taking them to the park tomorrow morning.” she told him. Tomorrow was Saturday, and though she had often worked on weekends before, she didn't intend to leave her family to do so. Her ninjas knew how to contact her in case of an emergency.  
  
Naruto was shaking a toy in front of Yukio, and the baby was staring at it. Yuraku was trying to reach for it, but it was too far from him. “Isn't the sun too hot for them?”  
  
“If we cover them well, the early morning sun should be fine. They need to get used to it.” when his father ignored him, Yuraku started to whimper. She rubbed his back and gave him another toy to distract him. “It's been too long since I took them outside.”  
  
“Yeah. I still think we should have stayed in Konoha until they were a little older.” Naruto hummed. Gaara pursed her lips.  
  
“I agree with you. But...” he interrupted her.  
  
“Yeah, yeah, I know. Those annoying...” he finished in a mutter so low even she couldn't hear it, and she was watching their children so she couldn't read his lips. She could guess it was likely a curse, Naruto hadn't been very happy with his own council of late, let alone hers. She was used to having her council attempt to interfere in her personal life, but that was somewhat new to Naruto – even if they did interfere in a broader way ever since he was born, probably even before that, considering his father had been the Fourth Hokage.  
  
She was kept from commenting when a sliver of sand shot out towards Naruto and grabbed the small, soft toy from his hand, hitting Yukio on the forehead with it after Naruto was startled into letting the toy go. The boy started and looked at Naruto with wide eyes as they gaped at him.  
  
“Did you...?” Naruto began, but she quickly interrupted.  
  
“No.” she studied their son and relaxed a little when she saw he wasn't hurt. But he was frowning, he looked like he was about to start bawling.  
  
“Aww... Poor baby. Did the bad teddy hit you?” Naruto cooed, patting his hair, holding back laugher. Yukio wasn't comforted. His eyes filled with tears.  
  
Before he started crying, she took her baby gently and sat him on her leg, bouncing him so he would calm down. It worked like a charm. “Here. It's okay.” she soothed him.  
  
“Why did he hit himself on the forehead?” Naruto placed the toy on Yukio's hand, and he brought it to his mouth.  
  
“...I don't know. Maybe he can't gauge the strength needed to bring the toy to him?” she guessed.  
  
“Did you do that as a kid?” he asked, not for the first time.  
  
She gave him the same answer as always. “I was four-years-old in my earliest memory.”  
  
“Could you grab stuff with your sand then?” he wondered.  
  
“Yes.” Naruto grinned.  
  
“For some reason, I thought you would just know how to do everything. I never thought you would have to learn it as if your sand was a third limb.”  
  
“People usually assume that.” Even she had assumed as much. Apparently, it wasn't the case.  
  
“Don't you need to use up chakra to do this sort of stuff?” Naruto wondered.   
  
“Not really. The amount of chakra needed to move this little sand is negligible.”  Naruto hummed, watching Yukio contemplatively.  
  
When Yukio dropped his toy, Naruto grabbed another one and tried to once again encourage their baby to grab it. After a long time, Yukio reached out with both his hands and grabbed the toy, and considering it was the first time the baby had ever reached for anything they offered him, she wasn't sure if Naruto was happy or disappointed that he didn't try to use the sand again.  
  
  
\- - - - -  
  
  
Nothing had changed.  
  
For years and years she had feared people's reaction to her real gender. But living in Suna after her secret was revealed made her feel silly for ever being afraid.  
  
After all, no matter what she did, her terrible past would never be forgotten by the people of Suna – even if it was long forgiven. A change in her gender definitely didn't make people daring enough to start acting condescending around her.  
  
Her position remained the same, people's respect for her remained the same. No one challenged her – even if a few elders still insisted she should retire. They were the same elders that had tried to find excuses to depose her from day one. For them, this was just another excuse.  
  
But she experienced quite a curious phenomenon. Most men continued regarding her as a man, as their equal, despite the fact she was dressing in female clothes increasingly often. Women, on the other hand, were more than happy to forget she had ever considered herself male, and they were full of pride that she was a woman like them.  
  
That made her fully realize how people had grown to admire her.  
  
Amongst everyone, Naruto was an oddity. The way he regarded her had changed, for obvious reasons, but she couldn't tell for sure whether he saw her as a man or as a woman. At different times, it felt like he saw her as either. It wasn't as clear cut as seeing her as a man in battle, and as a woman at home, no. He treated her one way or another completely at random, or at least she hadn't seen a pattern yet.  
  
In a way, he was the one who made her feel the most comfortable. She wasn't sure whether she saw herself as a woman or as a man – sometimes she felt like a little bit of both. She couldn't really disregard her physical gender, but she also couldn't disregard the way she had been raised to behave like. Naruto never made her feel self-conscious about her gender confusion. He helped her stop feeling embarrassed whenever she wanted to be more feminine, and he never tried to correct her whenever she wanted to be more masculine.  
  
Slowly, he was convincing her to stop putting so much thought to it all, and just focus on being Gaara.  
  
  
\- - - - -  
  
  
“You're sure we're getting married in Konoha?” she turned her eyes from the stars they were watching towards Naruto.  
  
“There aren't many flowers here during the Spring.” she noted, since that was probably the reason Naruto wanted a Spring ceremony in the first place. Naruto was strangely fidgety.  
  
“It'll probably be easier for your friends to attend if we stay in Suna.” he said quietly. Gaara hummed and looked away again, leaning against him.  
  
“Most of the confirmed guests are your friends.” she remarked, somewhat amused. Naruto frowned.  
  
“That's exactly why I'm asking. Do you think more people from Suna will attend if we have the party here?” he wondered. She blinked.  
  
“No.” she replied bluntly. “I'm... not the kind of person who reaches out to as many people as you do.” she almost told him she was a private person, but in a way, so was Naruto. He was just extremely good at keeping people close, yet at an arm's length.  
  
“But you do have a lot of friends.” Naruto muttered, frowning.  
  
“Attending a person's marriage is something a little too formal to most people.”  
  
“So, they're still intimidated by you?” it didn't really sound like a question, so she didn't answer. Naruto sighed after a few seconds. “I guess you did make most of your friends after you already were Kazekage.” he reasoned.  
  
Not to mention she could murder most of them with a single hand gesture, and she was fairly sure they were keenly aware of that. Matsuri was one of the few who didn't flinch when they caught sight of her sand moving – that was becoming more and more evident as Yukio's tentative grasp on the sand grew. He had no qualms making sand move for him wherever he was, whenever he felt like it.  
  
“Maybe we could...” he trailed off when she placed a finger over his lips.  
  
“Don't worry about it, Naruto. My closest friends and family will be there, and that's enough for me.” she told him honestly.   
  
If she was even more honest, having a ceremony at all wasn't nearly as important to her as it was to Naruto. Still, she was making sure Naruto got a ceremony he deserved, since he did want one.  
  
Naruto huffed, but he didn't argue. He just rested his chin on her shoulder and stayed silent. She smiled, realizing he was sulking. “In fact, I would be perfectly happy if you were the only person there, wearing nothing at all.” she murmured. He froze, his arms tensing around her.  
  
After a few seconds, he chuckled, his mood successfully lightened.   
  
  
\- - - - -  
  
  
“Naruto?” she watched her husband askance.   
  
She had left him alone with the twins just long enough to quickly run to the grocery store and buy the butter she had forgotten. She returned to see the babies sitting up, propped against pillows, as Naruto threw something white on Yukio's forehead every few seconds. At closer inspection, she realized they were tiny pieces of marshmallow.  
  
“What are you doing?” she insisted.  
  
“I'm trying to make him use his shield.” the next piece hit him just above the eye. He blinked and gurgled, looking interested towards the marshmallow peppered around him, but not enough to try and reach out. Naruto threw a small piece on the middle of Yuraku's forehead, and the baby giggled in response, attempting to throw the toy in his hands towards Naruto. He failed to relinquish his grasp on the toy, and it just hit his own feet. “His shield doesn't seem to work, like yours did.”  
  
She pursed her lips. “My shield only protected me against lethal attacks before I was three. You're just annoying him.” though to be fair, the only one who looked annoyed there was her.  
  
Naruto frowned. “Really? How did people know it worked at all, then?” he asked suspiciously.  
  
“You guessed it right.” she replied with a sigh. Naruto's eyes flashed, then his smile became forced. “Stop wasting food. They're too young to eat sweets, too, and you know they put everything in their mouths.” she chided him, using her sand to gather the small pieces of candy off the floor. At least he had the sense to throw something they wouldn't choke on.  
  
Yukio was very interested in watching her swipe the marshmallow away, and both babies stared at her as she walked away. She still had to make lunch for Naruto and herself before feeding them.  
  
Yuraku cooed at her back. “Yes, mom crashed our party and took away the fun.” Naruto cooed at him. “What are we going to do now?”  
  
It didn't take long at all until they were both laughing with Naruto on the floor.  
  
  
\- - - - -  
  
  
“Any new information?” Gaara and Naruto sat on the meeting room with their full Kage ensemble on. She was a shadow clone, so their children weren't in the room. Several ninjas of the intelligence division of both Suna and Konoha sat around the table with them.  
  
“No, Hokage-sama. We've found nothing.” a Konoha ninja said in a monotonous tone.  
  
“My ninjas found nothing, either.” a Suna ninja added. “We're pretty certain there are Uzushio ninjas who survived the attack that night, or they wouldn't be hiding their secrets so well.” Gaara steepled her fingers, watching them.  
  
It had been little over five months since her sons were born – five months since Uzushio had attacked Konoha in an attempt to abduct her, and nearly killed Naruto and her in the process. They had believed all of the ninjas had been killed by Naruto and Kurama that night, but that didn't seem to be the case.  
  
The dead could keep secrets well, but they couldn't cover their own tracks. As it was, any and all signs that there were ever resurgent Uzushio ninjas were completely gone. They seemed to have realized they couldn't underestimate Konoha.  
  
“They're being cautious now.” a Konoha kunoichi hissed low. “They made major mistakes twice. Next time they attack, we should be prepared for the attack to hit us hard.”  
  
“It's been five months.” Naruto sighed. “Are they going to attack any time soon?”  
  
“...No.” Gaara said quietly. The attention of all ninjas in the room was on her, and Naruto was looking askance at her. “I don't think they'll attack any time soon.”  
  
“Why not?” Naruto asked with a frown.  
  
“They were after you first, then they came after me while I was pregnant with your children. Both times their attempts were frustrated, because they underestimated our ability to fight against them.” her eyes narrowed. “But they seem to be after someone of your blood, and our sons fit that requirement. I think, if they're patient and capable of waiting, then they're going to wait until they're old enough not to be under our constant supervision, but young enough that they can't fight back an attempt at abduction.” Naruto's confused frown turned into a blank expression, but she could see the horror in his eyes.  
  
“It doesn't make sense.” Sasuke said with a frown. “My daughter's six, and she's an Uzumaki too. Neither I nor Karin obsess over her anywhere as much as you do over your children. She's been going to school on her own for a year now, and they've shown they're capable of infiltrating Konoha. Why haven't they tried to abduct her, if they want an easy target with Uzumaki blood?”  
  
“I don't know.” Gaara said quietly, uncomfortably.  
  
“Karin didn't light up when that Raki guy used his sensing jutsu. Only my sons and I did. Whatever they want, probably only my family branch has it.” Naruto told him with a grimace.  
  
“She didn't?” Gaara asked sharply. Naruto looked surprised at her and slowly shook his head. She hissed as something that had been bothering her since the day she was attacked in Suna sank in. “His voice, his eyes, the feel of his chakra... I think that Raki is a living clone of yours, Naruto.” everyone started around her. “He lights up at his own jutsu. He died that day, in Suna, yet he's still alive...”  
  
“But if that guy is a clone of Naruto, and what they want is related to his blood, why are they even trying to kidnap him? They already obtained his DNA somehow, and they cloned him...” One of the Suna shinobi asked quietly.  
  
No one around the table could answer that.  
  
They left that meeting with more questions than answers, and a sense of impending danger to their family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've written [a lengthy note](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11759152/2/Happily-Ever-After) on the current trouble at FanFiction.Net.
> 
> If you have stories there, I recommend you read it. The links I was kept from posting are bellow:
> 
> [The Internet Archive](https://archive.org/web/)  
> [and the tumblr post](http://wildrhov.tumblr.com/post/138893541254/all-fanfictionnet-stories-have-been-stolen) (DONT click the links listed on that post. They're malicious.)


	3. The Wedding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took a while to update this chapter, and I'm afraid I might take a little longer on the next. I already have a handful of late assignments for university, hah.
> 
> For those who are following _Write your Hopes in my Heart_ , I found a person willing to beta read it. So I'll take another week to update, but once I do, the english on the story won't sound so strange, hehe. Your patience will be rewarded!
> 
> I apologize if this chapter sounds strange overall, I'm not very good at writing descriptions, and I didn't really intend to write their marriage at all. If you need help picturing what's happening, search for "shinto wedding" on google images. The party afterwards is a little unusual, but I think it fits Naruto best that way.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> PS: I wrote a drabble for this story. [You can find it on my tumblr.](http://realtad.tumblr.com/post/140101318888/the-not-so-best-uncle)
> 
> It's faster and easier for me to write drabbles, so I'll probably continue to update over there, and I'll also give information on my current WIPs if you're interested to look!

Before Gaara knew it, the day of her wedding ceremony had arrived.

Gaara felt nervous about it. Not so much about the ceremony itself – though until the last time she saw him, Naruto had been a wreck worrying about it. What worried her were the clothes she would go dressed in.

She had asked Naruto if he was alright with her wearing male clothes to their wedding, and he had been more than happy to agree. Gaara even had a formal set she could have used for it.

Her sister had convinced her not to do it that very morning. Now, she was dressed in the overly elaborated female kimono Temari had gotten for her, and she was worried sick Naruto would hate it.

Not that she allowed it to show.

"Wow, you're beautiful, Gaara!" Ino sighed as she gave the last touch to her make up. Ino was practically Temari's sister-in-law, and she had been delighted when Temari asked her to do Gaara's make up and hair for the ceremony. "Naruto's brain is going to melt when he sees you."

Gaara wasn't sure if she believed her, but she didn't disagree out loud. Her sister caught on to her reticence.

"There's no reason to feel insecure." Temari remarked with a smile. "Look into the mirror and tell me you're not beautiful.

She was wearing a wig with the same color of her hair, to make it appear much longer, and it was set up in a very elaborated hairdo, decorated with gold and jade pins that were the color of her eyes. The shade of the gold seemed complimentary to the colors of the formal haori she knew Naruto would wear – the dark orange and burgundy one he had bought.

Ino had tried to cover up her birth marks at first, but she had given up, and in the end, she had made the dark circles even more pronounced, and somehow their darker color seemed to make her eyes seem brighter, their color stronger. She had even drawn with red pencil over her scar, turning the jagged edges into more delicate strokes, and the symbol of love looked more artful.

A weak artificial blush covered her cheeks, and a hint of red lipstick covered her lips. The make up felt strange on her skin, but she had to admit that the effect didn't look half bad.

The ceremonial kimono was white, embroidered with a white thread that shone silver when the light hit it just right. She had seen Temari trying it on, but her sister had decided to wear a red and white kimono in her ceremony a few months ago. This had been the kimono Gaara had liked best on her – it seemed her sister had ulterior motives when she asked Gaara to help her buy her own wedding clothes. She hadn't seen the party dress yet, but she could bet it was the same white and silver one she had liked, because Temari hadn't worn it either.

"You're absolutely gorgeous." Ino repeated again. "I knew this before, but you're the absolute proof that the right clothes and the right make up can do miracles for a woman." Gaara wasn't sure if that was an insult or a compliment, but her sister eagerly nodded.

"Naruto still thinks you're going dressed as a man, doesn't he? He's going to be in for a wonderful surprise." Temari told her with a grin. Gaara pursed her lips.

"Oh, god. I'm having very strong homosexual urges right now." Ino fanned herself as she stared at her pursed lips. Gaara felt her cheeks warm up. "Naruto's going to die when he sees you. I feel so proud of us, my amazing sister." Ino lifted her hand, and Temari high-fived her, grinning widely.

Gaara was miffed. They had been planning this for months now, but they had only pounced on her today. Surely it was because Temari knew she wouldn't want to spent hours arguing with her and run the risk of arriving late to her own wedding.

She would probably be late as it was, they had taken forever to get the kimono on her. She glanced at the clock and her eyes widened when she saw she had ten minutes to arrive on the temple that was fifteen minutes away on a moderately fast pace. "I'm going to be late."

"That's fine, Naruto needs a little suspense in his life." Ino grinned.

"I don't even have time to check on Yukio and Yuraku." she sighed.

"Sakura and Lee are probably already at the temple. You can check on them when we arrive." her sister patted her back.

"Just don't pick them on your lap! I've heard you love babies drooling and puking all over you, but not today." Ino told her firmly, giving her a last once over. "Right, you're ready to shine!"

She readied a sand platform to take her, but her sister interrupted her jutsu by grabbing her hand. "Oh, no. You're not getting wind and sand on your hair. We'll go walking." she told her forcefully.

Gaara took a step back as Ino and Temari both glared her down. Trying to argue with them would just make her even more late, so she resigned herself to her fate.

 

\- - - - -

 

Gaara was almost twenty minutes late. Naruto curbed the urge to pace and tried to fight the terrifying fear that she had changed her mind. It wasn't like they weren't already officially husband and wife.

Shikamaru was smirking by his side. He glared at his friend and advisor. "Do you think I'm funny?" he growled, not in the mood to deal with his knowing smirks.

Shikamaru looked him from head to toe, then raised an eyebrow. "Well... You are in all orange and red for your wedding." he pointed out. Naruto huffed.

"I look awesome." he argued, crossing his arms. "Gaara agrees." she had already seen him in these clothes, and she seemed to love them on him.

"At least you had the good sense not to get clothes that clash with your wife's hair. What color is she going to wear?"

"She's wearing a burgundy hakama. We took her clothes to the seamstress to be sure the colors matched." he huffed, offended that his advisor was questioning his common sense. A sudden, worrying thought hit him. "I wonder if there's something wrong with her clothes... Is that why she's late?"

Shikamaru's eyes widened as he looked behind Naruto's shoulder, then he grinned. "I get the feeling your wife's late because Ino got her claws on her poor soul."

Naruto heard gasps and whispers from the few people who had been invited to the somewhat private ceremony, and he turned around to see what had shocked everyone – even Shikamaru, who was too lazy to be surprised about anything most days.

His breath got lodged in his throat when he saw her.

He had no words to describe how beautiful Gaara looked under the Spring sunlight, walking slowly up to him with a somewhat neutral expression but a blush on her cheeks. When their eyes met, she smiled.

Something in his brain short circuited right then.

He snapped his mouth shut to keep himself from drooling when Shikamaru shook his shoulder and hissed on his ear, "Go and meet her up."

He was moving forward before his brain even parsed the words. Gaara looked up at him once they met up in the middle. Once their eyes met again, something clicked in his mind and his mental faculties returned.

He grinned at her. "...Hi!" he forced himself to say as soon as his lips opened, tempted to tell her she looked amazing, but not wanting to let her believe he thought her any less amazing when she dressed as a guy.

Gaara blinked, a little confused. "Hello," she replied softly. He curbed the urge to hold her close, and offered her his arm instead. "I'm sorry I'm late."

"You're not all that late!" Naruto dismissed quickly. Ino snorted behind them.

"I told you his brain would melt. Completely." she snickered, but left to walk up towards her husband before Naruto could say anything in response. Naruto flushed as he looked at Gaara again, and her smile seemed to widen.

"Do you think I look pretty?" she asked quietly as they returned to the position they should take.

"You look wonderful. Like always." he whispered in return. She studied him for a long moment, then her posture relaxed a little.

They didn't exchange any more words as they stood in place and the ceremony began. Naruto felt giddy and excited now that he was no longer worried, and he had to curb the urge to bounce on his feet as they walked in procession towards the temple. Gaara could read it on him, probably, because she looked subtly amused.

Naruto went through the ceremony by route, because the only part of it he paid attention to was Gaara. The happy light in her eyes, the look of single minded concentration on her face as they shared and drank from the small cups of sake.

Sometimes she looked at him as if they were sharing a great secret – because there were dozens of people around them, and none but the two of them could tell that people could be talking about the weather and neither of them would have noticed. Looking interested on anything they weren't paying attention to was a neat skill they had both developed since they became Kages.

Good thing he had asked Sai to film the whole ceremony, because he would probably need to watch it later.

Once the ceremony part was over, Naruto was tempted to hug Gaara again, and this time he didn't fight the urge. She chuckled and held him back. "You've wanted to do this since I arrived, haven't you?" she teased.

"Of course! You look so squishable, you have no idea." he whispered into her ear, and Gaara breathed out a faint chuckle against his chest.

 

\- - - - -

 

Gaara was right. Temari did buy the party dress she had liked for her. It hugged her body, and the skirts flared – either Temari had a wonderful eye, or she had gotten very lucky, because it fit her well.

It was maybe a little loose on the waist, but Gaara had lost even more weight during the past months – she was now slimmer than she had been before she had gotten pregnant. It might have something to do with the fact Yukio and Yuraku drank so much milk.

She was wearing another wig now, one with a looser hairdo. She felt the hair brush her shoulders every once in a while, it was strange but not unpleasant.

Naruto was wearing a black tuxedo with an orange vest and tie, and he looked handsome. Like before, when he saw her, his eyes lit up. He didn't compliment her on her appearance unless she fished for compliment, even though it was plain in his eyes that he liked what he saw.

She felt cherished that he seemed to be going out of his way to make her comfortable, and she felt maybe a little silly that he would even feel the need to do it in the first place.

Their party was held in a spacious garden, and in a Spring afternoon, it looked beautiful. Most trees and bushes were covered in flowers, and some fallen petals covered the grass – specially cherry blossoms. The scent of flowers and fresh air was pleasant to the senses.

There were few chairs around a wide area – people were allowed space to roam. Only one of the tables had chairs around it, where the oldest people invited were seated, seeming interested in their little conversation.

Naruto and Gaara walked around side by side, and Naruto would cheerfully greet everyone by their name or nickname, while Gaara spoke politely with people she didn't know well, and warmly with their shared friends.

"Congratulations on your marriage." Sasuke responded quietly to his greeting. His wife, Karin, stood by his side, holding their son and daughter by their hands. Naruto and her shared a silent smile as Sasuke continued. "You, of all people, deserve to be happy."

"Thanks, B-man." Sasuke's eyebrow twitched. It had taken her a while to discover what b-man meant, but it was Naruto's way of calling Sasuke a bastard when there were children around. "I really like it that you came to the party, even if you didn't come to the ceremony."

"I didn't think having a small child there would..." Sasuke began.

"You really thought my own children wouldn't be there? Hmm..." Naruto leaned in and they stared at each other intently. "They were guests of honor, you know. Our matchmakers, and all that."

Gaara stood uncomfortably as Sasuke and Naruto exchanged forced smiles, but Karin seemed more than used to it. She didn't even seem to mind. Sasuke opened his mouth to say something, but quickly shut it when Sakura stomped over to them, looking extremely annoyed, her hands closed into fists.

Her moods had been all over the place since she had given birth, and her loss of sleep probably wasn't helping her at all. "If you two start arguing, Sasuke, I swear..." she growled. "We're going to have a nice chat later, by the way."

Sasuke pressed his lips and said nothing. Naruto hummed and took a step back. "Well... Have fun, Karin!" his cheer was honest once again as he messed with the children's hair.

Sakura wasn't holding her daughter, but a cursory glance and Gaara could see Lee had the baby on his arms, and Temari was chatting with him, holding the twins on her lap.

Since Sakura had grabbed a hold of Naruto's arm and was dragging him towards them, she didn't need to feel torn between going to check on their children and following Naruto.

"I swear, Naruto, if you make a scene today..." Sakura hissed as they walked.

"...It's my own wedding, why are you worried?" he whispered back.

"Because Sasuke can be an idiot sometimes, but he's right. You deserve to be happy, and to have the best memories of today." she told him firmly. Naruto chuckled at her words.

"Nothing can spoil my day short of a war breaking out right now, Sakura." he told her cheerfully. Sakura glanced around with concern, as if expecting his words would summon enemy ninja raining over the garden.

But nothing bad happened.

As she approached her sister, Yuraku lifted his arms and started babbling. She leaned in to pick him up, but Temari quickly stepped back. "No. He's going to drool all over you." she chided.

"That's fine." she said impatiently.

"Of course it's not fine." Temari was just as impatient. "I swear, you and Naruto..."

Realizing his mother wasn't going to pick him up anymore, Yuraku started to whimper and pout. Gaara made a shadow clone, and this time her sister didn't argue against her clone lifting the child up carefully.

"Have them been fed?" she looked towards Lee. It was Sakura who responded.

"Just before the ceremony." Yuraku just seemed to want her lap. When Yukio started to reach out for her, Kankurou swooped in and took Yuraku away from her.

"That's enough. Stop spoiling them. Go off and have fun. They have plenty of highly qualified baby sitters right here." he waved her away. The baby was unhappy with his uncle, but before he was outright crying, Lee walked up and took him. Sakura was holding her daughter again.

"I've got him, Gaara!" he said cheerfully. The baby was startled to be thrown in the air, but his sadness washed away. Then Lee placed him over his shoulder, and he started looking at everything. Yuraku always loved riding on Naruto's shoulders when they were walking around crowded places. "Trust me, they're safe with me!"

"I trust you." she agreed softly. Lee grinned in response.

Naruto gently ran his hand over both of their babies' heads before they walked away again, and resumed greeting all of their guests.

She noticed he would brush his hand on her hair every time she came close enough to him. Her shoulder seemed the favorite place for him to rest his hand on – where it could touch both her skin, and the hair.

"Do you like me with long hair?" she asked some time in the middle of the party. Naruto blinked and watched her.

"...Hum." he didn't seem to either agree nor disagree.

"I'll take that as an yes." she hummed, running her hands through the strands.

"...Eh. You don't need to grow your hair because of me." he muttered, looking away.

"I never said I would." she pointed out. Naruto relaxed, then grinned at her, but before he could say anything else, one of the council elders came to congratulate them, and they were both distracted.

The idea of allowing her hair to grow, however, was now firmly placed in her mind. Temari always complained about hers, so it might take some work, but she could definitely try.

 

\- - - - -

 

Several people made speeches for them. There was no time for all of their friends to say everything they wanted, and by the time they left, Gaara felt exhausted. Naruto looked tired, himself, and Yukio and Yuraku were both grumpy. They were more than thankful when Kakashi and Hinata gave them an excuse to go home.

Gaara promptly got rid of the make up and all the clothes on both herself and her children, then lied with them on the futon. Yuraku was hungrily nursing, but Yukio was just lying on his tummy with his face on her breast, looking towards the door.

Naruto seemed to like her idea, because he started getting undressed as soon as he walked into their room. "So, how did you like the party?"

"It was memorable." Naruto had done most of the planning, so he preened at her words. "I really enjoyed it."

"Great! I know how annoyed you get with most social events." He laid by her side once he was completely naked. "Will you share mom with me, Yuki-chan?" he asked the baby, smiling.

As if Yukio had understood his words, the baby turned his back on him and started to nurse, reaching up to lay his hands over her. Gaara chuckled as Naruto gaped at him. "...Wow! You won't share? How mean of you! She was mine first, you know."

"I think they have the greater claim now." she whispered with a serious voice, even if she was teasing. "It's two against one."

Naruto eyed her for a second, then with a single hand sign, there was a clone lying by her other side, and one sitting by her head. Yuraku stopped nursing for a few seconds just to stare up at his dad. "It's three against two now. I win."

"Try getting them off me." she challenged with a chuckle, her voice still a low murmur. Naruto hummed, and both him and his clone moved closer to her, comfortably sandwiching her between their bodies and helping support their children's weights. The clone sitting by them ran his fingers over her hair. She closed her eyes and a pleased sigh left her lips.

"You look exhausted." Naruto leaned in and kissed her cheek. She turned around so their lips met into a soft, chaste kiss.

"So do you." she remarked.

"Let's sleep, then." Naruto suggested.

Still, they both remained awake, even after Yuraku and Yukio had long dozed off and could be safely placed on their futon. She was in no rush to leave the bed, however, and her husband didn't seem that keen to leave either.

"...I'm hungry." Naruto said without warning, a few hours later. Gaara opened her eyes and glanced at him.

"You barely ate at the party." she should have made him eat something when they arrived. But she had been so tired.

"Do you want to have some ice cream?" he offered with a small grin.

"Only after you eat something healthier." she admonished.

Trying to leave the room without waking the children was hard, but they weren't Kages over nothing.

They spent their wedding night sitting side by side over a towel in their inner garden, naked under the full moon light, sharing one of the few flavors of ice cream she enjoyed while Naruto made her laugh by sharing anecdotes from his friends' own wedding ceremonies.

 

\- - - - -

 

"Do you know what day is today?" Naruto greeted her cheerfully that morning. "It's our anniversary!"

"...Anniversary?" she studied him with a raised eyebrow. Did he mean the fact that their wedding ceremony had been held exactly a week ago? That was a silly concept to her, but it was hard to tell with Naruto.

"Yes! You forgot about it? But that's fine, I'm here to remind you." his cheer didn't diminish. "It's been exactly ten years since we first ate ramen together!"

Gaara just stared at her husband. At least he seemed fully aware she would never have remembered that – she wondered if he did remember, or if he had pulled that date at random. She really didn't doubt Naruto's ability to actually remember something like that. "Really?" he grinned.

"I have just the way to commemorate it!" he swooped down and grabbed Yuraku, throwing the baby in the air. Yuraku shrieked with laugher. "Let's go to Ichiraku, Yura-chan?" he cooed at the baby.

She had been expecting him to try and drag the twins to eat ramen for a while now. At least they had already introduced solids into their diet by now.

So she accepted, and an hour later they found themselves sitting at one of the tables with one child on each lap. She had ordered the smaller portion of the mildest lamen they had, and she made sure it was lukewarm before she allowed Naruto to feed it to them. Naruto was already on his third bowl by then, and she was done eating.

"So, this is your first taste ever of the most divine food you'll ever eat." Naruto grinned as he just wet the spoon on the broth, then brought it to Yuraku's lips.

Yuraku licked it. Naruto beamed. "Isn't it great?" the baby just cooed in response, and attempted to get the spoon from him. "I know you want more, but let your brother have some first!"

Once again, he just wet the spoon and held it up to Yukio. The baby licked the offered spoon. Then, he promptly grimaced and buried his face on her breast.

Gaara laughed at the dismay that overtook Naruto's expression.

"Naruto, watch it!" she gasped while laughing as she saw Yuraku throw himself forward and make a grab for the ramen bowl. Naruto quickly held his own bowl out of his reach, but the baby tipped the smaller bowl they had ordered for them, grabbing the noodles into a tiny fist and pulling them towards him as half the remaining contents spilled on the floor.

Gaara laughed more as Yuraku brought his full fist to his mouth and sucked on it, more interested on the broth than attempting to chew the noodles which were hanging from his fingers. "...At least Yuraku seems to love it. He's the one and true Uzumaki in this family." Naruto claimed, his lips turning into a teasing grin.

Yukio started to giggle when she didn't stop laughing. Yuraku ignored them, busy playing with the noodles within his grip instead of attempting to eat. Naruto chuckled and watched him to make sure he wouldn't choke.

In the end, they didn't need to worry. More noodles had made their way into his shirt than into his lips, and he seemed delighted with his parents' apparent approval of his mischief.


End file.
